


You promised Cake

by Jassanja



Series: Cake Universe [1]
Category: As the World Turns
Genre: Birthday, M/M, Midlife Crisis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-01
Updated: 2010-08-01
Packaged: 2017-10-10 21:38:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/104586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jassanja/pseuds/Jassanja
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Noah decides to get a gloomy Reid drunk</p>
            </blockquote>





	You promised Cake

Noah hadn't planned the evening to go like this. He just wanted to spend a relaxed evening with Casey and Allison at Yo's!  
They hadn't done that for a while, all three of them too busy with work and life to just hang out.

It wasn't until his eyes darted around the room to avoid watching his friends make out that Noah spotted Reid on a table in the back.  
He had seen Doctor Oliver a few times in here over the years, but he had always been sitting at the bar, so spotting him somewhere else gave Noah the feeling that something must be off with the man.

"You mind if we leave early?" Alison asked some moments later when Noah's attention returned to their table.

"Nah, run along already, before Case gets too drunk to be on any use to you tonight," Noah teased.

"Hey, that never happens!" Casey protested, and Noah just grinned and shooed them off with a wave of his hand.

It was still relatively early for a Friday night, so Noah decided to stay a while longer at the bar. His curiosity was piqued and he wanted to inquire what it was that had Reid staring into his drink for well over an hour now.

"Doctor Oliver," Noah greeted as he walked up to his table

"Mr. Mayer," Reid greeted back, barely looking up from his drink, clearly dismissing Noah.

Noah put two fresh beers on the table. "You must be staring dejectedly into that drink for a while now, Reid. Aside from getting warm it must also have gone sour with fear from your death glare"

The joke actually got a chuckle out of Reid. He looked up and indicated the chair opposite him.  
"Sit down then, Noah, if you must, but just so you're warned, I'm cranky company tonight!"

"What else is new?' Noah lifted a brow as he pushed one of the glasses across the table.

Another chuckle and Noah wondered if Reid had after all managed to get drunk by just looking at his drink.

"Crankier than usual!" Reid admitted

"Wow, is that even possible?" Noah asked, taking a sip from his beer.

They sat for a while in silence but Noah noted that at least Reid took the occasional sip from his drink

"So," Noah asked at long last, "what's got your feathers ruffled?"

Reid looked at his watch. "Got a birthday coming up in twenty minutes."

"Isn't that a happy occasion?" Noah asked

"It's not just any birthday," Reid said with a scowl.

"Ah," Noah said after a moment, realization dawning. "The big four-oh!"

Reid gave a curt nod.

"Don't worry, Reid," Noah tried to console him, "they say forty is the new thirty"

"´They` might be right. I feel just as shitty now like I did back then, but why don't we talk about this once you managed to reach either?" Reid bit back.

"Getting drunk will not make you any younger."

"I'm not getting drunk, Mr. Mayer," Reid informed him. "I'm hiding from Katie, if you must know."

"Why? Isn't she the one who'd want to celebrate with you?"

"Exactly! I'm sure given half a chance she will gather together everyone in this town who can halfway stand me, so they can jump on me in a dark room and yell ´ambush!`"

"You mean ´surprise!`?"

"Same difference!" Reid said as he emptied his beer.

"You know, there might be cake," Noah tried to lighten the mood

"Uh, there will be cake, don't fear." Reid smirked, "and I will have it all to myself, another joy of spending a birthday all by yourself. You don't have to share the cake."

Noah tried to stifle a laugh but by Reid's expression he could see that he wasn't succeeding.

"Do you want me to remind you that men of a certain age should watch what they are eating, since it has the tendency to begin to stick?" Noah asked finally, carefully

"One more reason to indulge one last time." Reid sighed.

Noah couldn't resist the temptation the get the shots a couple of minutes before midnight.

"I shouldn't drink this," Reid protested as Noah lined four glasses up in front of each of them. "I've got a double shift coming up in twelve hours or so"

"Another attempt at hiding from any kind of party? Guess then its even more important that we do this now. I'm sure you'll be fine, I've seen you drink more then that without any effect"

"As you said yourself, Mr. Mayer, I'm not as young as I used to be!"

Noah looked pointedly at his watch. "Midnight!"

Reid obliged and picked up the first shot. "Just don't say anything sentimental"

"Like Happy Birthday?" Noah asked

"Like that"

"I won't!" Noah picked up his first glass as well, and together they drank.

***

It had been easy to keep Reid drinking once he had started and when Noah dropped him off at his place he did feel a little guilty, hoping that he was not putting anyone's life in jeopardy because he had insisted on getting their doctor smashed the night before.

"Come on, old man!" Noah said as he grabbed Reid's shoulder to steady him and help him out of the truck.

He walked up to the door with Reid, not knowing how to proceed from there. He hadn't been in the house since before Brad died.  
Now years later is was just Reid living there after Katie had married Chris Hughes and Luke had dumped Reid with the same "I-want-a-love-that's-forever-but-only-if-it's-smooth-sailing-and-everything-goes-my-way" spiel he had put Noah through before as well.

In the end Noah just pushed those thoughts away and helped Reid locate the keyhole and the light switch.

"You find your bed?" he asked as Reid struggled out of his jacket and shoes.

"Two things… always find … fridge and bed…" Reid slurred.

"Well then, good night!"

Noah couldn't resist getting the better out of Reid for once, so he reached out and slung his arms around the other man

"No hugs!" Reid protested, but then he fell forward against Noah's chest and directly into the hug

Noah giggled. "Too late," he said before straightening Reid out and pecking him on the cheek.

He stepped back to the door and turned one last time before closing it behind him "... and Reid? Happy Birthday!"

***

It was Monday by the time Noah turned up in front of Reid's door again.

"Oh no!" Reid faked a groan as he opened the door. "Mr. Mayer don't tell me you're here to convince me to get drunk again"

"The hangover's been bad then, I take it"

"The first hour or so. What was that stuff?"

"I don't know." Noah grinned and shrugged. "I just ordered the strongest they had."

"You play dirty"

"If I have too." Noah sat down on the sofa. "So, managed to avoid any ambush parties?"

"Almost," Reid handed Noah a beer. "Found a sandwich waiting for me in the on-call room during my break"

"Katie's work. I guess"

"Of course. Who else would think it fitting to stick some candles on top of a sandwich?"

Noah laughed. "Yeah, that sounds like Katie all right." He indicated towards the beer, "who's trying to get whom smashed now?"

"There I tried to be nice for once… " Reid started but Noah's hand on his wrist stopped him

"Joke!" Noah softly reminded him

"Right!"

"So," Noah started again, as he remembered why he had come to Reid's in the first place. "You had the chance to indulge into that cake of yours?"

"Not yet," Reid said, smiling at the prospect

"Good," Noah said, and reached for his bag, pulling out a cardboard box, "because I brought you one"

Reid opened the box and stared at the triple layer chocolate cake.

"Did you bake that yourself?" Reid asked, his brows raised in suspicion.

"No, I .. ehm…," Noah blushed. "I asked Emma Snyder to bake it"

Reid guffawed. "Sure she still would do that for you"

"Actually," the color intensified on Noah's face, "I told her it was for you"

"Then I probably really shouldn't eat it"

They both laughed.

"Like Emma would poison anyone who loves her food." Noah said, "perhaps you should just show up in her kitchen more"

"Yeah, right, brilliant idea"

"You know, you have that standing invitation to go to the farm anytime you want for dinner"

"They just gave me that one because it would make their favouritism towards you more obvious if you had one and I didn't. I'm not stupid enough to believe it was honest and actually show up there and make everyone uncomfortable for a whole evening"

"See, that is where you're wrong. They really mean it, it's just a Snyder thing to do." Noah paused a moment before he continued. "Perhaps we should go there together sometime soon"

"You and me and dinner at the farm?" Reid asked. "As weird as that sounds, those crazy Snyder's would probably really enjoy that"

Reid got up and fetched plates and cutlery from the kitchen

"Guess I will have to be polite and share the cake with you, " he said with a sigh as he set the knife to the cake.

"Don't be too polite," Noah said with a smile. "a small piece will suffice"

They ate while talking easily about baseball and within the hour the cake was gone.  
Reid stretched out comfortably on the couch and Noah tried not to notice how his black sweater rode up, showing off a delectable stretch of skin.

Noah cleared his suddenly too dry throat

"So, how does middle age feel?" he asked, grabbing for the first topic that came to mind.

"Thanks for reminding me again, I almost managed to forget my age for an hour or so!" Reid made a face before he continued. "So far it's not that much worse, at least from a logical viewpoint"

"But?" Noah prompted

"Mentally I still feel like I became really, really old over night!"

"I know that feeling," Noah said, "I felt pretty much the same when I turned twenty-five a few months ago"

Reid chuckled bitterly

"Do you have to drive the knife in further?"

Noah gave Reid a once over.

"Don't worry, you're still pretty hot!" he blurted out

Reid shoot up from his reclining position, staring at Noah dumbstruck. "What?" he asked

"You heard me," Noah said. He spotted a smudge of chocolate frosting in one of the corners of Reid's mouth. Absentmindedly he reached out to swipe it off.

Both their eyes went to the dark smearing on Noah's finger. Noah didn't know what came over him when he brought his digit to his face and liked the frosting off while holding Reid's gaze.

Moments later Reid's lips were on his, a strong, slippery tongue demanding entrance.  
Noah's eyes closed as his own lips opened. He moaned into the kiss as the felt Reid's tongue stroking along his own, felt Reid's fingers burn into the skin of his jaw.

Reid broke the kiss as suddenly as he'd started it.

"You should leave, Noah"

"Why?" Noah asked, breathing hard.

"Because if you don't you'll end up flat on your back in my bed"

Noah's breath hitched. "And that would be bad because?" he asked his hand reaching out for Reid's knee.

"Do you really want to fuck the ex of your ex?"

Noah pondered this for a second "I wouldn't phrase it like that," he finally answered, while stroking up Reid's thigh. "Right now, I just want to sleep with you"

"Also," he smiled at Reid, "if it helps you to feel like yourself again to lure a twenty-five year old into your bed, it can't be that bad an idea"

Reid gave a nod, then stood up and held hid out to Noah. "Then come Mr. Mayer," he said, "help me stroke my ego"

"You know," Noah said as he reached for the offered hand and followed Reid to his bedroom, "your puns used to be sharper, old man!"


End file.
